A number of people will find themselves in the position of a landlord either through letting a house or just a room. A number of time landlords rent out property to businesses, take in lodgers for the sake of cost sharing, let out their old homes after moving to new ones, buy a flat for the sake of renting out to student, buying property to let as an investment etc.

However, it is important for a landlord to understand his duties and responsibilities towards the tenant. There are many landlords who take a professional approach towards this and have accommodations that are well managed and of high quality. At the same time there are people in this business without any insight on the legal rights of tenants. The Scottish Government in particular has taken steps to improve the private renting standards.

Management

First and foremost there are the management issues. The tenancy period must go on smoothly between the landlord and tenant. For this purpose it is important that both sides are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The landlord must insert the house rules, i.e. when and where to put the rubbish, cleaning arrangements etc. Hence you must put all these in writing. Any rights and responsibilities which are given by law cannot be signed out.

Physical issues

This is concerned with the fact that the property must be wind and watertight, with reliable appliances and efficient heating system. The landlord must maintain the property and make sure that it is in good condition. A well maintained property is always easy to let with a good rent. Moreover, if any repairs need to be carried out, they must be done promptly so as not to endanger anyone. The law has also laid down some gas, electric and furnishing requirements which must be met.

Landlord registration

All landlords in Edinburgh are now required to register with their local authority to ensure that they are a fit and a proper person to let property. Letting any house without this registration is an offence. The government has also set a fine upto £50,000 for letting an unregistered property. A registration is approved by the local authority for three years. There will be an enforcement action against any property which has been let after this time period. Thus the registration has to be renewed after this.